The Monsters We Make
by jjpdn
Summary: Cinderella would have loved a happy ending, but sometimes your fairy godmother is the devil herself. (oneshot)


**WARNING: mature themes, mild gore**

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

"You used to tell tales to your children when you were young. Of when humanity was young. The stories of elders were lessons distilled over generations. Wisdom, saved for your progeny. But you were all afraid, weren't you?

That's why you burned away knowledge that you did not agree with. Slaughtered the wise men you disagreed with. Turned away from all the facts that were too scary for your poor, weak mind… and so, you withered within your ignorant shell.

Stories were slowly distorted, changed to match your current beliefs. Lessons became tales, tales became legends, and legends went heard but not learned.

This is humanity. A disgusting race much too willing to turn on its own, sacrificing the good of all for their petty little conflicts."

"...My Queen?" A soft, insecure voice interrupted her.

Salem turned away from the floating tentacle ball she had one day named "Seers", her attention now on a certain teenager at the cusp of womanhood.

The girl looked out of place in the Grimm queen's meeting room. She was tall for her age and had soft, fair skin that was accented by a crimson dress with elaborate swirls. Her left hand played with her silky, long black hair nervously as she glanced at the almost life-like, dark purple, shadowy walls that seemed to encircle her, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. They were lined with purple crystals, doubling as candles as they gave off an oppressive aura. It was a scene akin to a flower amidst wolves.

"Yes, Cinder?" Salem pushed away her Grimm spawn and gave the girl a reassuring smile. It was a terrifying expression, further enhanced by her eldritch-like nature, but it did not frighten Cinder. Instead, it seemed to put the girl at ease as tension seeped out of her.

"The plan is going well. I have… acquired the Black assassin as you planned. I am still on the lookout for a good candidate for the second half of our plan, but your agents have been progressing well in their search. They are closing in on a few rumors that may bear fruit."

"Good, good…" the queen nodded absentmindedly, to which the girl perked up. "You are getting better, my dark maiden. But your fidgeting is quite distracting."

Cinder's mood took a 180. "I - I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Stand straighter." Salem chastised her. "Yes, like that. Lower your hand. Remember, having confidence is already half the battle."

"Yes, My Queen." The girl stood still, posture perfect.

"Thank you for the update. You may return to your tasks."

The girl meekly nodded before doing as she was told. The room was once more empty, devoid of anyone but Salem herself.

Salem summoned her seer, the hovering communication ball floating closer.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes. You, on the other hand, were always so proud of humanity, Ozpin. Of what they could achieve. You believed in unity and how their golden hearts would win at the very end. I disagree. I called them flawed creations, a plague upon Remnant. We argued about that, we fought, and finally, we raised armies to prove our cause."

The grimm queen glanced at the doorway.

"However… I realized that the answer to winning this war was this simple, Ozpin. This war will not be won by sheer military force. I could slaughter all of your child soldiers and it would be but an empty victory. No, instead, I will win by playing by your rules…"

Salem grinned maliciously.

"...and make you _choke_ on your own beliefs."

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

Cinderella was not very ambitious when she was a child. Her mother loved her and doted on her every whim, surrounding her with the utmost comfort, fulfilling her every desire. There wasn't much she desired that she didn't already have.

After all, she was the daughter of a favored concubine. Her father, king and one of the last royalty, had an outstanding amount of riches that he could shower his women with at will.

"Mom! Mom! Look at what I drew!" energetically yelled a eleven year old Cinder. She ran through the courtyard garden to get to her mother, making sure to not dirty her golden dress along the way. Her mother sat on a bench at the far side of the yard, working on her embroidery.

The woman looked up with a gentle smile. She was breathtakingly beautiful and the target of envy for many women. Her blonde hair was like weaved jewels, her amber eyes sparkling gemstones. Smooth entrancing curves and a bountiful bosom made men trip when they saw her.

"That is very nice. Oh my, Ella, are you using the gold paint again?"

"I just used a little bit! We have a lot anyways!"

The mother stared at the drawing. It was a painting of the two of them on a field. A very noticeable amount of liquid gold was dripping from the page, having been used for the color of both their dresses and the rays of light.

She giggled. "I see."

A servant, standing off to the side, tending to the plants, frowned at the exchange. The two royalty did not notice him, however, so lost they were inside their own world.

"And who is this?" The woman pointed at a third figure who was holding hands with her daughter.

"That's my prince, just like in those fairy tales you told me!" the girl cheered. She then turned to the trees, yelling out. "Edward!"

A sharply dressed boy stepped out of the shrubbery. He flipped back his onyx hair with a flourish. "Yes, My Princess?" He faked a deep, boisterous voice, sending Ella into a fit of giggles. "Do you need saving again, fair maiden?"

"Oh, Prince Edward again, hmm?" Ella's mother smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She turned to her daughter. "Still not talking to your half-sisters?"

"They're so mean! They pulled my hair, calling it burnt wood!"

"I do agree, My Lady." Prince Edward defended his friend. "They are unpleasant."

The mother sighed. "I hoped that you would get along more, unlike their mothers and I. Looks like jealousy does run in the family."

"Maybe, My Lady. But I must be going now. My mother had told me to return before supper, and I would never keep her waiting. It was fun playing with you again, Princess." He bowed to the both of them and took his leave.

"He's so charming, isn't he?" Ella commented to her mother. Her mother, however, stayed silent till he was out of hearing range. "Mom? Are you alright?"

"It's… it's nothing. Just thinking about something."

Ella wasn't convinced. "Is everything alright?"

Her mother laughed. "Aww, look at you. Don't worry." She trapped her daughter in a sudden hug, then kissed her on the cheek. "I will make sure everything is." Her arms tightened. Her daughter hugged back just as tightly in reflex.

From above Ella's head, her mother spied another servant entering the garden. The servant looked around, seemingly searching for someone. Ella's mother recognized her and released her daughter.

"Ella, stay here, alright? I need to talk to her."

Ella nodded. Her mother patted her on the head before leaving with the woman.

Thirty minutes later, Ella still sat alone on the bench. She had exhausted all avenues of distraction and was quite bored, wondering where her mother had gone. A stack of drawings laid neatly beside her.

"...!"

The girl perked up. It sounded like her mother's voice. She got off the bench. It came from an open window facing the courtyard on the second floor. Curious, she sneaked over.

"...escape is possible?" It was her mother's voice! She struggled so as to hear better.

"...will be difficult… sure you want to do this?"

"I'm… ..., not a noblewoman! Court politics are not my... ...with all the unrest… ...too dangerous to stay."

"...will cost a lot… ...the king is paranoid, and not very smart… ...tread carefully."

"...you too."

Realizing that the silence meant that her mother was on her way back, Ella ran back to the bench.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

Her eleven year old mind didn't think too much of the encounter. She classified it as boring adult stuff and naively lived her life like any child would.

So what if the noblewomen that gather at those stupid balls had started talking less about fancy dresses and gossip, and more about unrest outside their walls? Everyone had their interests, and that kind of scary topic was not hers.

So what if the number of widows she met seemed to increase day by day? People died all the time. She didn't know any of the dead people, so they were but a distant dream.

So what if soldiers looked more uncomfortable as time went on? Maybe they just stood too long and their legs got tired.

So what if her mother sometimes had this faraway look in her eyes and ignored everything? Her mother said she was alright, so she had to be!

That is why, when the day came that she never saw her mother again, it should have not been any surprise.

It had poured outside that day. She came back from playing, wet and cold, feeling ashamed to have gone against her mother's rules. However, her mother was not where she normally was.

Panic seeped in when she realized that she couldn't find her anywhere. After an hour, she had finally decided to ask a servant. The servant had told her that the king was having an audience with her mother.

That was strange. They only really ever met in their private chamber. Ella decided to go investigate.

"...and in accordance to our laws, in the name of King Terra the fourth, I sentence you to death for treason and collaboration with rebels."

She burst into the throne room in complete disbelief. Her mother was to be executed? But why?! And her father was the one who ordered it?!

Her mother looked resigned while the fat oaf sitting on the throne looked furious. The queen, sitting beside her husband, looked completely composed… Wait, did the queen just flash of a smirk towards her?

Ella pleaded with her father, but it was no use. They weren't close at all. Heated words were exchanged, insults made. Things got so bad that he threw her out and had guards lock her in her room.

The execution was swift and much too public. Strangely, the general population who went to the central plaza to watch did not hurl insults at the supposed traitor. Instead, they were solemn.

Ella didn't remember the next few days. There were some tears, but most of the time she had just felt empty. Nobody talked to her except a servant who brought her food. She and her mother had kept mostly to themselves due to both her mother's low standing in the court and the machinations of her half-siblings.

Then, one day, the food stopped coming. At first, she wanted to keep hiding, but her hungry stomach screamed at her, and finally, she connected to the real world again. But reality was cruel.

"Oh, look, look who came out of her hole! It's _Ash_ and it looks like her fire's gone out. Guess she lost her _cinders_."

Her three red haired half-sisters stood in her path within the crowded hallway, laughing at her. They were an ugly sight. She grumbled back tiredly. As Ella grew up, she realized some things, one of which was that jealousy was a very ugly and very real thing. Out of all of her siblings, she was probably the prettiest by far, but also the lowest in terms of standing in their family.

"What do you want?" She grumbled back tiredly.

"Don't you use that tone with me! I thought you were more educated, bastard. Alas, nobles have to be born nobles." one of them sneered.

Ella glared, her small hands tightening so hard that she almost drew blood. "You… You… I'll…"

"You'll what, Cinders?" Another mocked. "Tell father? After that stunt you pulled, I wouldn't be surprised if he hung you outside in a week!"

Tiredness slowly turned into anger, then into despair when she realized she couldn't do anything. There was nobody she could turn to.

"Cat's got your tongue? Maybe if you keep your mouth shut you'll turn out better than your traitorous mother." It wasn't right to punch someone, but all her sadness over the last few days transformed into pure rage at those words.

Her half-sister fell to the floor and a hushed silence fell over the hallway. Appearance was highly important for the aristocracy, and to break it in such a barbaric manner shocked everyone, including Ella herself. The crowd erupted.

"She's gone crazy!"

"Isn't she the traitor's daughter? No wonder..."

Ella took a step back, eyes wide. "I…"

Someone grabbed Ella by the arm and twisted it painfully, turning her around and towards him in the process. It was the captain of the guard. "What have you done? We will go straight to your father! He will know of this disgrace."

Her father ended up being terribly angry. Angry enough that when the queen suggested to let her take care of Ella and re-educate the girl, he agreed without a moment's consideration.

Ella didn't know much of the queen in terms of her personality, but during the later months, all she could say was one word: cruel. The queen seemed to hate her father's rampant infidelity, and the fact that one of his concubines' daughters was prettier than her own did not help to quell said hate. Ella was forced to do all sorts of menial tasks in order to "humble" herself all while her half-sisters laughed at and mocked her. They also removed her access to writing utensils, isolating her from anyone else but people under the queen's control. The servants, afraid of the queen's wrath, said nothing about Ella's situation. It was known that the queen was a warrior before her marriage and had a temper similar to a volcano. The only arguable bit of luck she had was that they couldn't do anything to her that'd affect her appearance, lest someone noticed.

The disgraced princess lived with constant fear that the next day the queen would give up on keeping appearances. Would the queen invent a crime for Ella to commit and execute her in the same was as her mother? Would she rip off the little girl's fingernails one by one?

Did tears come from a limited pool? Ella thought so. She ran out of them during the first week. The girl became like a robot, doing her immense amount of degrading daily tasks till she dropped.

However, she still kept hope. Her mother had told her fairy tales like this and they always ended with a handsome prince saving the princess. When she felt especially sad, she would think of Edward and sigh dreamily.

As she grew over the years, so did her beauty, and so did the queen's jealousy. On her thirteenth birthday, the queen announced a new rule. If the girl didn't work hard enough, they would take away her food. Over the next month Ella had realized that it was far worse torture than what she'd imagined.

With less food, she would feel more tired. If she was more tired, then she wouldn't be able to work as much. It was a cycle that could only end in more pain for her.

Then, on one of the days where she had no meals, a house servants visited her in the middle of the night. The servant had brought her food.

Ella didn't care if it was some kind of plot to get her into trouble. She was too famished. When the servant lit a candle, revealing her face, Ella realized that she was someone familiar. Ella had seen her talk to her mother a lot in the past.

"I… I…" The servant awkwardly shuffled under the young girl's mistrusting gaze.

The poor princess, dressed in rags, was sitting on the straw pile that was her bed. She turned back to hungrily tear at her plate with her hands. Ella was thankful, but conversations could come later.

"I'm sorry!"

Ella kept eating.

"This… this is all my fault."

Ella stopped.

Over the next hour, Ella learned more about the outside world than she thought she could ever know.

She learned of the great famine plaguing the people and how peasants died by the hundreds from hunger. She also learned of how the king was adamant in keeping his lavish lifestyle and winced when she remembered her own semi-gold paintings.

She learned of another world, further, beyond the walls of their kingdom. The servant spoke of a land of metal creatures and flying metal carriages, of mechanized industry, of men and women who were part animal. It was crazy, but who was she to question her savior?

She also learned of the rebels who were fighting for liberation. Their kingdom had isolated itself from the rest of the world for a century and the rebels sought to change that in order to gain access to global food markets, which were plentiful. The nobles, on the other hand, were afraid of losing their power. If the peasants, inspired by other kinds of governments, started getting other ideas, then they may start an uprising.

Most importantly, she also learned more of her mother.

She already knew that her mother was a nameless peasant who was too beautiful for her own good. When the king saw her mother, he took her away to become his concubine, possibly against her will. So, it was not a surprise that when she was thrust into court politics, she did not fare well.

What she didn't know, however, was that her mother did sympathize with the servants, even if it didn't seem that way. The concubine had never forgotten her roots and thought to see if she could make changes through her position. Her rebel contact was this servant, the one who had brought Ella food a mere hour ago.

Ella just sat in silence after hearing everything. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be angry because all she felt was emptiness. No matter her reasons, her mother's decisions had destroyed both her own and Ella's life. Why couldn't her mother have been more open? Couldn't she have just not helped? Couldn't she have been more selfish?

She missed her mother so much.

Ella finally spoke up. "And she thought that she could change everything? That a few weakened peasants could do anything against the king's well trained army?" There was some anger in her voice, but it was buried under sheer exhaustion. "My father might be lazy, but his captain is not." The captain was renowned for both his loyalty and skill, something that had worked against Ella.

The woman, who had introduced herself as Beige during her explanation, simply stood there silently.

"She… she really was a fool..." Ella closed her eyes.

Beige grabbed her shoulders, forcing Ella to face her, causing the young girl to look up at her. "Don't you dare say that! She was a great woman! I looked up to her! I can't believe you would insult her like that!"

Ella looked away as she slowly sighed.

"...Ella?"

The princess wasn't actually angry. She was just resigned and tired. So very tired. "I guess it's easy to blame it all on her. Still, it doesn't make sense."

The servant then released her. Silence stretched between them for a while, one of them trying to process the new information while the other tried to come to a decision, until Beige finally spoke up. "...I made a deal."

"A deal?"

"A deal with the devil. A deal… with a creature named Salem, queen of the Grimm."

The servant talked about how Salem had caught her in the wild and instead of killing her, it had offered her a deal. Salem would implant her with a Grimm parasite which would ensure her loyalty as well as give her a few enhancements. In return, she'd become Salem's eyes and ears in the kingdom.

"Enhancements?"

"I can create and manipulate a Grimm limb and use a special semblance without my aura being activated. Without aura, none of the soldiers will think I'm threatening. I will be able to approach them, create a limb of blades, and hopefully, assassinate the captain of the guard. Without him, the army will fall apart because of infighting due to the king's poor-"

Ella realized something important. "Wait, can you sneak me out of here?"

"Yes? My semblance is the ability to make a single object look like something else. It's how I snuck in the food. It doesn't work well if anybody try to smell it or feel it, though."

Ella sprung to her feet, startling the servant. "Prince Edward! If I can get to him, he'll surely help me!"

"Ella… you are not well liked at the moment and have nothing to your name…"

"I knew him! He was a…" The girl searched for words. "...a good friend. My only friend. He'll figure out something!" She fell to her knees in front of Beige and begged her desperately. "Please! I'll do anything!"

The servant winced. She tried to dissuade the younger woman. "It'll be very difficult. Last I heard, he was preparing for a ball all the way across the kingdom. Our kingdom might be small, but it's still quite a distance away."

Their gazes locked. "Beige… you don't understand… I can't stay here, or she'll do worse than kill me."

The sheer horror in Ella's eyes made the older woman's heart hurt. "I…"

Ella continued. "Remember how they can't harm me on the outside? The queen has started to become creative. The food and labor are nothing in comparison to what she had thought of a few days ago… At least, I think a few days ago."

"You don't remember?"

"Days start blending together when you wish to forget your own existence."

Beige's heart clenched.

"Anyways, remember how the queen has the ability to manipulate gold?"

"Yes…?"

"A few days ago, she snuck in beads of gold in my food."

The servant's hands covered her mouth as she let out a horrified gasp. "No…"

Ella gritted her teeth. The memory was fresh and so was the pain. "Please… Beige, help me. He is my last hope."

"There has to be another option… what about living among the small folk?"

"I can't. I was never well liked among the population. Who knows if the queen has spies? If she catches me, then, she may twist my actions into treason and get rid of me then and there. _Please,_ Beige." Ella clutched Beige's pants so tightly her hands became white.

"It's just so risky… what if he…"

The degraded princess sighed, closing her eyes. He was her dream, her fantasy, for so long… she couldn't even imagine a life without that little glimmer of hope. She just couldn't. For if there was no miraculous solution, what else could she do?

She had nothing. Nothing at all, except for this, and she will see this path to the very end.

Her silence was telling enough to Beige. After a second of consideration, the servant nodded. An hour later, the two met up near the stables, hidden by the woman's semblance. In the servant's hands was a nice gown, stolen from Ella's half-sisters. Ella had also taken a quick cold bath to remove all the sweat and dirt. She had spent most of the night preparing for this.

The place was deserted, it being late at night. They easily opened the door with a stolen key. A beautiful carriage awaited them along with two strong, sleeping horses.

"Oh no…" Beige smacked her forehead.

"What?" whispered Ella, concerned.

"I don't know how to drive a carriage!"

Panic started creeping in.

The servant was quick to add to her previous statement. "No, no! Don't worry Ella, I've got an idea. I will not need to know how if I'm the one pulling it."

Ella looked confused, but watched as Beige concentrated. The servant put both hands on her bosom before seemingly slowly pulling something out. It was some kind of dark blob, bulging and beating like a heart.

"My parasite can become more than just a limb. It can be anything I wish. The real problem is that Salem will feel my misuse of her powers… hopefully, she won't mind."

Beige's words went through one ear and out the other as Ella just stared at the blob as it morphed an inch at a time into a large horse-like creature. Its red eyes and bone plates revealed it as nothing but a monster. The servant then went to work, hitching it to the carriage.

In the dead of night, the two escaped from the castle, camouflaged as travelling merchants with none being the wiser.

The night was cold. Nothing made a sound except for the gallop of the Grimm horse. Ella's attire had now changed to the gown as she stared out the carriage's window while Beige focused on the road ahead.

The surrounding flat land was dark. Shadows from the few trees stretched long, cast by an uncaring moon. The princess didn't really take in any of the scene, her mind currently being a thousand miles away, but the chill she felt on her skin reflected the melancholy inside.

"Beige?"

"Yes, My Lady?"

"I'm thankful and all, but why help me?"

There was a short silence as the servant took a moment to find an answer.

"When I was younger, I wanted to be a knight."

It was a bit too sudden and unexpected. A knight was a man's job. "Hmph!" Ella couldn't help herself. She smothered her giggle with one hand. "A knight?"

"Yes, a knight. A woman knight. I was young and foolish. I wanted to be the one to save kingdoms, slay dragons, and ride on the back of a horse encased in shining armor. Of course, as I grew up, I lost the hopefulness of my childhood due to the cruel world, but my sense of justice stayed with me. When I saw a noble beat a peasant one day, I could not just stand aside and watch."

"Oh."

"Your mother saved me from what would have been a certain execution. It did not win her favor in the court, but it won my loyalty."

"And so you are here just to pay back a favor?"

"Alright, maybe I just wanted to save a princess..."

They laughed.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

The whole journey took a full day

Castles were few in the kingdom. The place where the ball was to be held was more like a town, filled with disgruntled peasants, platoons of soldiers and pompous nobles. Beige got them past the gates through some creative words, and once they were in, nobody questioned the two.

Beige dropped her off in front of the ballroom building. "Remember, be back before midnight." The servant told her princess.

Ella nodded and watched her friend take the carriage away. She took a deep breath to steel herself. Then, she turned towards the entrance, her blue dress a lovely sight as it followed her in her twirl. She went to confront her prince.

A guard stopped her at the door. "Ah, another lady hoping to marry Prince Edward?"

"Uh… yes."

"Please come in, My Lady." He held open the door for her.

She curtsied. "Thank you."

It was strange being in a high class function again. The silk gown felt alien on her skin and the sophisticated crowd didn't interest her anymore. She felt out of place. However, she was here for a reason, and she made a beeline for the center, where a number of women surrounded a certain man.

She turned an ear to the surrounding conversations as she had practiced when she was a child.

"...grew up quite the man!"

"...three villages have been burned down this month. This month!"

"...it just me, or does that girl look a lot like the traitor princess Ella?"

Ella quickened her pace.

As she got closer, she could make out more of the man by peering in between the bodies of the women. He had gotten really handsome, she realized. His suit, most likely an expensive outside export, accented his broad shoulders. On the right of his waist was a sheath holding an ornamented sword. His dark hair was combed back, showing more of his princely perfect face.

He quipped and all the women around him giggled politely.

Ella should have felt inadequate, surrounded by women who were more fed and elegantly dressed. Their full bosoms, slender hips and fair skin would be a target of envy for any common folk. However, this was Ella's moment and no one else's.

No one!

All the pain, all the suffering, it would pay off here.

She saw Edward as he noticed her figure. His gaze turned to her. A polite smile was still on his face as it took a moment for him to recognize her. Then, his eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock.

"Prince Edward?" one of the women questioned, concerned.

"I'm sorry ladies, I have an important visitor. Excuse me, excuse me!" He pushed through the crowd to reach her. Ella's heart swelled with hope.

"Princess Ella?" He said as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Prince Edward," she curtsied in greeting. Nearby, conversation died and people started staring. "Is there somewhere private we can speak and catch up?"

"Of course!" The prince looked like he didn't believe the princess was real. "Follow me."

An extra room was located between the gardens and the ballroom. Normally, it was just for insulation and sometimes reception for people entering from the back. It was completely empty today.

The prince held open the door for his long-lost friend like a gentleman. She entered, and then he closed the door behind him. His questions started instantly. "Ella… has the queen let you out? The rumors are not favoring you… They say you are wild, crazy. That your mother's death drove you to insanity."

Ella's face tightened. "It's all slander! Please, you need to help me!"

He frowned. "Help you?"

"The queen, she's torturing me! She treats me like a servant, makes me do gardening, scrub the floors all day till I fall over from exhaustion!"

"That just sounds like punishment from a mother… though a bit extreme for a noble." Skepticism was written all over his face. "You sure you are talking about the queen, though? The paragon of virtue?"

Ella grabbed his arms out of frustration, startling him. "It's horrid, Edward! Horrid! She sometimes starves me, forces me into clothing that even the servants don't want. Please, believe me!" She was becoming a bit hysterical, and that wasn't helping her case. She tried to force down her rising panic.

"Ella… I… this is the queen you are talking about. Are you sure… you are in your right mind? You don't look abused, just a little thin."

"Yes! Edward, she put gold inside of me just so she could cause pain that wouldn't show! She poisoned me once too, just to stop me from being able to go out in public when some physical wounds showed too much!"

"That's… that's ridiculous! That's my mother's biggest ally you are talking about here."

A chill went up her spine. She had forgotten about that. While her mother might not have been well liked in the court, that didn't mean all others were the same. Some women appeared like wolves in sheep's clothing. They cultivated their reputation to make themselves appear larger than life while knifing each other in the back behind the scenes.

"Sure, she might have forbidden me from visiting you, which was a bit strange, but she was always very polite. What you are suggesting… it's… completely ludicrous! She only treats the rebels that way. You, on the other hand, are family!"

"But I'm not _her_ daughter!"

"And suddenly, she'll abuse you? This doesn't make any sense!"

Ella found herself at a loss. She had no real proof except her own words and she realized that even she had no idea why the queen was hurting her. Because of jealousy? No matter how much Ella wanted to just label the queen as jealous, it just didn't make sense for a woman as sophisticated as her to be so petty. So petty as to even risk being executed just so she could hurt a child. It didn't add up.

She felt like a pressure vessel. There was so much pain within her but none of which she could release. Her vision started blurring. Edward reached forward and gently wiped away a tear from her eye. Then, he cupped her face. Their eyes met.

"Ella… you know I trust you, but this… this is too much. You don't think that maybe… your mother's death really hit you too har - Argh!"

She had slapped away his hand. "How dare you!" Anger burned inside of her. "You think everything I went through is a lie?!" She spat. The fire within her roared, empowered by the misery in her very soul.

"Ella! Ella! No, it's not that!" He took few steps back. Ella, a head smaller than him but twice as furious, took the same amount of steps forward.

"Well, Ella what?!"

"I mean… she did kill your mother, no matter if it was deserved, that was…"

If her anger was an actual flame, that sentence would have made it burn down the whole town. "What. Did. You. Just. Say."

"She was dealing with rebels, Ella! She could have killed us all!" He tried to reason with her.

"She would NEVER do that!" she screamed back.

"Maybe so, but the rebels would not?! They are psychotic murderers!"

"Or maybe they're misunderstood!"

"Ella!" His yelling of her name was sudden and so very sharp. He was not trying to convince her of anything anymore. There was real anger behind his voice. "How can you side with those bandits?!" The man roared. "They butchered my mother and paraded her body for weeks!"

There was a stunned silence between the two, filled in by both their heavy breathing.

Ella's mouth felt dry. She had no idea that had happened because the queen had kept the poor princess as isolated as possible from the outside world. All of Ella's fury drained away, leaving only a chilling sense of dread.

"Get. Out."

"...I…" She wanted to apologize, but what could she even say?

"Get. Out!"

"Edward, I'm so-"

"Get out… before I do something I may regret." His voice was cold and controlled.

To her horror, she noticed that his hand levitated over his sword. So, Ella ran. She went straight out through the garden doors, blowing them aside as she barreled through, her tears uncontrollably running down her cheeks. Such was her haste that she tripped on the last step and lost one of her shoes, but she didn't care. She ran and ran and ran, even when she passed the well kept lawn and reached the rocky roads.

"Princess Ella?" someone called. It was Beige. The princess turned towards the direction of her voice, eyes red and dripping with tears. "...I'm going to guess it didn't go well." Ella cried anew.

She got onto the carriage. Beige used a whip on the Grimm horse to keep up their ruse, and so they departed. The servant stayed silent as her companion weeped.

What was Ella to do? She had no one anymore. No one that could save her from this life of horror. She had cost herself the aid of her father, and now, her childhood friend. The only one who would help her unconditionally was dead and Ella wasn't even sure why. Was she doomed to be degraded and punished? Maybe… it was because of herself?

She couldn't help but wonder if she could have prevented her mother's death. There were so many signs that she missed before that dark day. Maybe if she comforted her mother more, stopped her from her path? Been a better daughter? Confronted her mother about the conversation she'd overheard?

What about her father? Could she have tried to at least care about him, no matter how fat and ugly he was? Could she have tried to breach the distance between them, even if it seemed like he did not care?

Finally, Edward. Oh, was that not a situation of her own doing? If only she wasn't so impatient, then she could have mingled with the crowd and made conversations. That way, she could have gather information and have known more about the rebels. Or, she should have just strayed away from that topic to begin with! He brought it up, but it didn't mean she had to rise to it.

Though… if the queen hadn't made a slave of her, Ella would have also known. If the queen didn't have the king's confidence, maybe Ella would still have had a father.

Ella gritted her teeth. If the queen wasn't a murderous bitch, then Ella would still have her mother.

However, her anger died down as quickly as it rose. Ella wrapped her arms around herself. The recent events had drained away all her hope and energy, leaving a humongous void inside of her. She slowly laid onto her side. She was tired… tired of sadness, of anger, of hope... The sounds from the Grimm horse and the steady turning of wheels seemed to lull her to sleep.

"...Ella?"

The calling of her name jolted her from her sleep. The princess hadn't even noticed she had closed her eyes. She opened only one.

"Yes?"

"Where do you want to go now?" Beige's voice was soft.

Ella just listened to the sounds of the carriage. Her ideas were exhausted. Her fire was spent. What else was there to-

"Errrr-uck!" The carriage came to a sudden halt.

Ella sat up. "Beige? You alright?"

Silence.

"Beige!" Then, she saw the scene outside.

They were surrounded by Grimm. Monsters of all shapes and sizes stood at attention. Their bulging muscles were tense, as if about to pounce. Their glowing eyes watched her every move and their razor sharp teeth glimmered in the moonlight. If there ever were creatures worthy of being called darkness personified, it would be them.

Her body froze up with fear, that is if it hadn't already. Something grabbed the carriage, raising it above the ground, and then shook her out of it. She landed hard on the cold ground. Her last remaning shoe was lost in the stumble.

"Ugh…" Everywhere hurt. She lifted her head up. To her surprise, none of the Grimm had attacked her yet. A small tiny part of her wished they put her out of her misery.

"So, this is the reason you haven't been answering my calls… How assuredly disappointing."

Ella's eyes widened. From between the creatures, a Grimm shaped like a human stepped out. Was she even Grimm? She had pale skin and red veins, unlike the Grimm, who had black skin and white bones. And was that light purple hair? Ella squinted before realizing that the creature was naked. The princess looked away, but then remembered that it was a Grimm… so it was okay to look, right?

She forced herself to look when, from the corner of her eye, she spotted Beige, suspended high up in the air. A tentacle coming from the humanoid creature's back was wrapped around Beige's neck. Beige flailed helplessly.

The human-like creature was probably Salem, Ella realized. The queen of the Grimm.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

Salem was feeling a little vicious today. Her tentacle released its prey and Beige fell to the ground. A loud crack came with that direction as the woman screamed. One of her legs had broken in the fall. Salem savored the sound.

It has been years since Salem had personally witnessed the suffering of one of these humans. She forgot how good it felt to see those pathetic creatures die. Obviously, it wasn't because she wanted more suffering to happen in the world… oh no, of course not. That would just be illogical. No, she hated them because they were scum.

Did the Grimm ever fight against themselves? Did they betray their brothers because of greed? Did they ever take more from the land than they could return? The answer was no. But humans, on the other hand, they exploited. They were so selfish. So disgusting.

She cut her trail of thought there. It was not the time to monologue to herself again.

"I wanted to kill you with your parasite from afar, an easy and clean solution, but I was curious. After all, I chose you for your golden heart. I had wondered if you were on a fairy tale journey. Saving a princess or something similar. After all, it had to be important for you to risk discovery."

Yes… they were afraid. Very afraid. She could feel it in the air, feeding her instincts to savage and murder. She ignored it with practiced ease.

"My question is… was it worth… your... life!" In the same beat as her last word, two tentacles extended from her shoulders, piercing through the servant's forearms and spearing them to the ground. Sadly for the Grimm queen, from her position, she could not see much except for some red and a lot of screaming.

Beige was a good agent, but an insubordinate agent was worse than no agent.

"Well? I'm waiting."

In between sobs and hiccups, Beige forced out pleas of mercy.

"Really. That's all? I brought everyone here to watch and that's all you say?" There was faux disappointment in Salem's voice. "Well, if that's it, then say goodbye to your friend." She pulled out a fourth tentacle.

"Wait!" The smaller human stumbled over to cover the other with her body. "Please don't kill her!"

Salem was relieved. Now that was more interesting. It would have been a waste of time for her to come all this way just to kill a human.

"And why should I not tear her limb from limb for violating our agreement?"

"I…" the little human looked for words. It was cute, in a way. The little being, so small, so weak, trying so hard to protect the older one from not just an army of monsters, but also the queen of the Grimm herself. "I know you make deals!"

"Yes…?" What will she offer? One thousand gold pieces? One million gold pieces? Her first born?

"I want to trade her life for mine!"

Very interesting indeed. Salem knew from observing through her agent's parasite that this girl was not part of the agent's family, nor a close friend. In fact, they had very little contact over the years. This kind of selflessness was a surprise.

Or it was, until Salem realized that it was just because the little girl didn't have much left. She reviewed her memories about the girl. A dead mother… uncaring father… abusive step-mother… disagreement with friend… Salem almost rolled her eyes. Wasn't the girl dramatic. She thought she lost him forever, just because they had an argument?

That was not agent material, Salem decided. She raised her tentacle higher, ready to spear them both. She did not need a naive, dramatic youth to…

Wait a second. Salem lowered her tentacle.

Small humans normally indicated a young age. Didn't the maidens of Ozpin, her sworn enemy, only transfer their magic to young women? While she was not actively fighting the war anymore and her enemy was licking his wounds, it didn't mean she couldn't keep undermining his support.

"How old are you, human?"

"Huh?" the human looked surprised at not being dead yet, as she should have been. "T-Thirteen?"

Salem narrowed her eyes in thought. That was quite young. Lots of time to grow and lots of time before she can't be a maiden anymore.

It was decided.

"I accept your offer, human. Now, what is your name?"

An hour later, all that would be left in the clearing was a broken carriage and a princess' lone remaining shoe.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

It was rough at first. No one except Beige knew how to cook, so Ella had to feed herself with whatever food the Grimm brought her. Some days it was just a huge pile of oranges, others it was raw cabbages, until she finally worked up the courage to talk to her mistress about it. Then, she suddenly got so many varieties of foods that she felt a bit overwhelmed. There really was no middle ground with her mistress. Thankfully, Beige recovered, and the princess got to eat a real meal for the first time in a long while.

The lodging was mostly acceptable, and by acceptable, she didn't mean acceptable by aristocratic standards. There was a roof. There were walls to protect from the elements. There were chairs to sit on and a warm floor to sleep on. Ella had missed her hay at first, but that quickly faded away as she got used to it.

And Salem… well, Salem was a hash trainer and had little patience. Every two days, Ella would have combat training where she fought Grimm in hand to hand combat. Tips were given, but a lot of times Ella didn't understand them and was too afraid to ask for elaboration. It always ended with Ella exhausted and beaten, but alive. In between combat days, she would have a nice break where Beige helped her recover from the brutal beat downs she endured. Dust training also happened on those days, which she would say she especially liked.

In terms of her aura, neither Salem nor Beige had the ability to unlock it. So, instead, Ella was placed in as many life threatening situations as she needed until her aura was unlocked and healed all her injuries. It was not a fun method, nor was it efficient, but it had to be done. Or something. Ella still wasn't certain why she needed her aura unlocked and why she got this strange parasite that didn't give her any abilities. She wasn't about to question her mistress' orders though.

All in all, Ella would say that it was a very enjoyable life when compared to the last two years. For selling her soul to the devil, she expected much worse. Maybe the Grimm were really the ones that were misunderstood. She had a goal, she had protection, and she had all her needs fulfilled.

Well, everything except for a desperate need for social contact. Salem was Salem, the Grimm… did they even have a language?! And Beige was but a single person. It could get lonely when the only other human was gone on days like today.

It was a break day. A day to let her body repair itself so that Salem could throw something worse at it tomorrow. Ella had come to hate them, even if she could play with her fire Dust. It was just a long temporary reprieve from violence where all she could do was think. There were many topics to choose from, but none of them went anywhere. For example, she would question her decision to become a Grimm pawn, but then always come to the conclusion that Beige's life was worth it. After all, it was her fault that the servant's life was put in danger. It would be a poor way to repay Beige's good actions by abandoning her.

Right now though, Ella's thoughts were headed towards a much more dangerous direction. A direction that may lead to an action that could count as assisted suicide. She stared at Salem who was looking at her floating ball thing and talking. The queen did that a lot for some reason, either to talk to her agents or just… talk. She was standing too, and it had been at least two hours. Did Grimm never get tired?

A bead of sweat fell. She really wanted to ask. The curiosity was eating at her. However, will Salem see it as a dig for weaknesses?

"Cinderella, I can see you staring at me."

Shiiiii-er-crapppppp.

"Y-Yes mistress?" Her hands tightened around the fabric of her dress, this one scavenged by the Grimm from some destroyed village a week ago.

"Explain why you are staring and be quick." There was no mercy in Salem's eyes.

Ella gulped. "I-I… I'm just wondering… if you hate humans so much… why aren't you killing them all? Y-Your Grimm darken the skies of every city, y-your strength immeasurable… so, why are you taking human agents like Beige and I in?" She's dead. So dead.

The Grimm queen stared at her. Her arms folded underneath her - Ella internally groaned. She wished she had the courage to tell her mistress to put on some clothing… Maybe if Salem didn't kill her now, she'd ask lat-

"I'm… at an impasse."

Ella pinched herself. Was she really not dead? And was that a real answer?!

Salem looked thoughtful, before she came to a conclusion. "Yes… yes… I will tell you. You are correct. I could easily crush you all, but if I win, it will be a hollow victory."

"C-Could you please explain further, mistress?"

"I could." Salem's attention went back to her floating tentacle monster thing.

The princess groaned. Conversations with her mistress were always like so.

"Oh, and Cinderella?"

Ella gave a startled reply. "Yes mistress!"

"Feel free to ask more questions and permissions. Just know that I may choose not to answer or reject your proposals."

Ella smiled weakly.

"I am saying this because I heard you talk to Beige about a suggestion you wanted to pose to me."

The princess paled. All the courage she had earlier seeped away. She fidgeted with her clothing, especially when Salem looked straight into her eyes. Ella couldn't hold her gaze and focused on Salem's light purple hair instead. She hoped her mistress didn't notice as Salem told Ella again and again to not waver.

"Do not waste my time, Cinderella. Speak up!"

"I-I… I…" Ella couldn't say it. She couldn't. "I… I thought your hair would be prettier if done up!"She blurted out instead. A pause, then she realized what she had said. Her cheeks burned.

Salem's eyes narrowed.

When Beige finally returned that day, tired after a long day of work, she ached to find companionship in her friend. But first, she had to report to her mistress. She stumbled through the plain halls until she found the throne room. She yawned, taking a moment before entering to stretch. When she opened her eyes, she saw the most unbelievable of sights.

"What do you think, mistress?"

"The left side is a bit lower than the right. Fix it."

Salem wasn't sitting on her throne. Instead, the queen of all evil and darkness in the world was sitting on a simple rock that was shaped into a stool. This was to allow easy access for Ella, who was doing up her mistress' hair. Nearby, there was a pile of everything relating to hair, from hair accessories to shampoo.

In front of the two was a large mirror. No, it was a Grimm, a violent monster made of three hundred kilos of muscle and claws, in the shape of a mirror. Beige absentmindedly noted that it was probably because an intact mirror was hard to find, especially when Grimm conquered through destruction.

Beige rubbed her eyes, not sure if she wasn't dreaming.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

A year later, many things had changed.

Salem's castle became more than just a few functional walls. The large purple crystal growing outside were brought in as decoration. Holes were made in the walls to act as windows, though finding a way to get intact glass panes would take a while. Tables, beds, and other furniture were also added.

The Grimm queen didn't use most of the new additions, but did sometimes join in the humans' strange distractions on slow days. She would play board games with them, considering them amusing past times to sharpen her wit, and read books to see the human perspective of things. Of course, that sometimes ended with many tree-based products getting thrown into the lava pit outside.

Salem herself changed too. At Ella's suggestion, she now clothed herself in a sinisterly elegant black dress designed for pure aesthetics. Her light purple hair was also curled up like a strange cloud and defied gravity. It was for artistic reasons, Ella had explained, and not protection. Decorations on your own body. Salem had never cared for such things, but when you didn't have to fight a war everyday, it did get boring.

Beige had worked herself into the confidence of the captain and secretly helped the rebels prepare. The economy had gotten worse, the people more and more desperate, so the rebel recruitment was through the roof. Loyalty to a king was hard to keep when you didn't have food in your belly.

Ella wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing. What happened to Edward's mother was stayed at the back of her mind. When she confronted the only rebel she knew personally about it, the woman looked angry. The servant agreed the rebels had gone much too far then. However, Beige did try to defend them, saying that it was in some way retribution for killing off Ella's mother. The servant's point hit a bit too personally and Ella dropped the subject then.

The disgraced princess had grown up both in body and mind. Her puberty was delayed by malnutrition and only recently had the signs of womanhood shown up. Salem's training helped her get back in shape too, allowing her to gain a healthy amount of lean muscle. On that note, Ella was thankful her aura was unlocked. Only with aura could her skin have stayed unblemished.

Under Salem's instruction, she also sharpened her mind. Military tactics, social cue recognition, psychology, anything her mistress thought had value really, was personally taught to her. It was an enjoyable time, especially when, strangely, the queen became more patient over time. Was it the distractions the two humans brought in? Or was it something else? Salem never cared much about Beige except for her progression reports. Some days at night, Ella would dream that Salem adopted her, and would then always wake up with a light, pleased blush.

"Cinderella. It is time."

Ella put down her book. She was sitting on a chair in her personal chamber, decorated with different colourful crystals she had found in the Grimmlands. A few paintings distinctly lacking any yellow hues hung from the walls. Common furniture filled up the rest of the room.

Oh for how long had she awaited this day? The fear and suffering she had felt during those years under the human queen's thumb had not dimmed at all over this year. Instead, they had mutated, evolved, and transformed into hatred. Once upon a time, she may have believed in divine justice and fairy tale endings, but no more. If she wanted a happy ending, she would have to take it for herself.

And first… she would make her pay.

...alright that was a bit dramatic, Ella admitted to herself. This was more about closure and helping out a friend. She giggled. It did feel good, even a little sexy, to whisper evilly to herself though.

She exited her room, went down the hallway and entered the newly built meeting room. Her mistress sat at the head of the table in her imposing chair while Beige was sat on one of the seats at the side, tapping her finger on the rock table impatiently.

"Take a seat. We are about to go over our final preparations for your insertion into the revolution."

Ella grinned eagerly and took a seat as she was told. She could finally show off what she'd learned.

"Should we go over the plan one last time to make sure we are all on the same page?" Beige suggested. It was clear she was nervous. All of the rebels' plans would come together today at sunset. Hopefully, all their blood, sweat, and tears would bear fruit and the kingdom will be remade into something better.

"You may. It is your war, after all, not mine or Cinderella's. Recap it."

"Ella and I will use my servant duties as an excuse to get close to the captain, and around sunset, we strike." The servant explained. "Then, we will proceed to open the gates. The rebels will storm in and hopefully take the king as prisoner and force a new government. At the same time, other rebel forces all across the kingdom will do a similar same thing with their ruling nobility. I have separated communications as we planned in order to keep each attack isolated, incase one gets revealed."

The princess nodded, having heard it a thousand times before.

"Remember to watch yourself and keep your guard up at all times," Salem warned. "My attention will be split as negativity spikes. I won't always be able to save you."

"Yes, mistress." The woman said impatiently.

Salem gave her a stern look.

"...sorry!"

"Ella." The young girl perked up at the call of her name. "Keep an eye on her. Now, you two may go."

The two changed into servant's clothing. They decided to forgo chainmail because it made too much noise as they walked. In terms of weapons, Beige grabbed hidden daggers and Ella had lined her clothing with Dust.

Outside, a Nevermore waited for them. They mounted it and it took off.

"...Beige?" Ella muttered softly into her friend's back. The young girl had wrapped her arms around the older woman in order not to fall off the Grimm, not that it wouldn't catch her if she did. "Do we really have to kill him?"

"Who?"

"The captain."

While the captain was squarely on the king's side, it was only because of his strict code of honor and his oath. He wasn't exactly bad in Ella or Beige's opinion, per say. Just sadly their main obstacle.

"Ella, I already gave my reasons."

"I know…"

"It'll be too risky to judge how much force I need to just knock him out. I may not hit hard enough and give him a chance to yell. That'll comprise phase two, the gate opening. If I use a poison, I'll have to take down his aura before using it. He is not like the guards, he is stronger than anyone I have ever met… excluding our mistress."

Ella just squeezed her tighter. They stayed like that for a bit.

Beige opened her mouth. "Nervous, Ella?"

"A little bit." Ella replied. It had been long since she had last seen her home - her original home. It was there that she had lived for much of her childhood. She could almost imagine it already, its gray, weathered walls towering over everything and its towers stretching to the skies. "Still, shouldn't it be you that's nervous? This is the moment you've been waiting for."

"Yes. Yes it is."

For a long moment, there was only the sound of the wind. Beige breathed in the air as if it was the smell of victory. Ella, on the other hand, just found comfort in the physical contact.

"It's almost like a fairy tale, Ella." The servant finally whispered. There was disbelief in her voice, as if she never thought this day would arrive. "The peasants will rise up against their oppressors and right all the wrongs committed over the last century. No longer will the commoner starve as the nobility feast. No longer will the king be able to take whichever woman he fancies. It is time to make the world right, Ella!"

Ella smiled at her companion's passionate words. It really was the day they were waiting for.

They landed on the outskirts of the castle. Beige's Grimm-induced semblance once again proved invaluable as she got them through the gates without a hassle. Once in, it was just some acting and they were inside the keep. The other servants knew Beige and didn't question her presence.

The two brought a laundry basket with them as they went up the stairs to the captain's quarters. Ella blinked at the sleeping guards.

"Wow, aren't they useful."

"Be nice, Ella. We had someone poison the food supply with a delayed tranquilizer agent."

They entered the room as quietly as possible. Surprisingly, the captain was on his bed, asleep. The two assassins moved closer to him. The rugged man looked peaceful.

Beige formed her Grimm limb. Ella grimaced and looked away.

A sounds of glass shattering. A drop of liquid landed on the princess' arm. Ella squeezed her eyes shut. It was mildly nauseating. She wanted to wipe it away, make it disappear, but her arms shook.

"It is done. Let's go. We don't have much time." Beige rushed to grab clothing from the nearby wardrobe and stuffed their laundry basket. "Ella?"

The princess shook her head, forcing herself not to think too much of the situation. "I'm ready."

They walked down the stairs. The guards were still asleep and when they got to more populated areas, everybody acted like nothing happened. After all, they had no idea.

The two dropped off the basket, then headed for the walls with boxes of food in their arms. It was time for phase two. None of the guards thought much of the two, and when they realized their mistake, they were already unconscious.

Finally, they came upon the unattended switch, located in a room above the castle gates.

"Really? That's it?" Ella honestly thought it would be much harder.

"It's the end of their shift. The guards are tired. They want to go home. There should be a better shift schedule to accommodate them, but the king is lazy and wastes his money on trivial matters. The captain has no funds and no time to work on a mere schedule." Ella walked over and used the Grimm arm to force the gates open. In turn, the drawbridge that was raised for the night also fell, landing hard onto the ground.

The quiet of the night was interrupted by the loud bang. That was the signal. Out of the darkness surrounding the castle, either form the forest or just bushes, thousands of rebels roared their war cries as they charged. The sleep-deprived guards on the walls couldn't even raise their bows before many fell from arrows. The flood of angry men entered the castle without much trouble.

"To the keep!" One of the men who entered the courtyard yelled and his men roared their agreement. They pushed their way through any commoners and headed for their target.

The sounds of battle rang out as tired soldiers attempted to fend off the fanatic rebels, intertwined with the screams of the mortally wounded. Bodies lay left and right. A few of the buildings even caught fire. Ella watched from the window, horrified.

Beige winced. "...this wasn't what they told me. They promised that…" The servant rushed down the stairs. Ella followed closely behind.

When they finally arrived at the courtyard, fighting had stopped in that area. Bodies of the dead lay like litter, the scent of slaughter almost choking the two females.

A group of rebels took their rest at a nearby tavern. Beige stalked towards that direction, anger apparent on her face. Ella looked around nervously, but stayed near her friend.

The tavern hadn't taken much damage as it was owned by a rebel supporter. They served drinks and food regardless of the destruction outside. Laughter and conversations continued as if nothing had happened.

One of the men, most likely the leader, noticed Beige's approach. "Men! It's the lady of the hour! Slayer of the Mountain!" The men cheered her name along with him. They all took a swig of their beers.

"What have you done?" She hissed out.

Other conversations slowly stopped as the rest of the men became interested in the conversation. The man looked bewildered. "What did I do, lass?"

"This!" Beige gestured at the carnage.

He laughed. "What did you think was going to happen, woman? If you can't stomach it, maybe pretty girls like you should have stayed back at home, waiting for your husband to come home so you both can 'celebrate' our victory afterwards!" The men laughed with him.

Beige was not amused. She tightened her fists in anger. Ella, on the other hand, took glances at the battlefield and the blood soaked swords the men were carrying, and began to feel even more uneasy.

"Please! Spare me, and I'll give you all the gold I have!" Hoarsely screamed a voice. A good distance away, two rebels were dragging a well dressed noble out to a tree stump. They forced his head onto it. Another rebel approached with an axe.

Ella turned away. She wanted to vomit.

"I thought we were taking them prisoner! Force the rest of the nobles to see the world our way!"

"Woman, these are the same nobles who starved our families and put down anyone who spoke against them!" The man Beige was talking to did not look very happy at her complaints.

"That doesn't mean you can just kill them off like this! This is horrible! What of all the children orphaned? What of the Grimm attack after all this negativity?!"

"We will deal with it when it comes. Justice comes to everyone and I will not let a bunch of fucking greedy murderers get away!" The man roared his last words. Ella saw every man around nod in agreement. They must all have lost someone to the famine...

"And aren't you not doing the same thing?" Beige angrily yelled. "You are not better than any of them!" She turned and motioned at the surrounding area, soaked in crimson liquid. "All this, you are all just a bunch of murd- "

The princess noticed movement, but she was too late. "BEIGE!" she screamed. Her friend was so close, but so far. Time slowed down.

The man's long blade sprouted from the servant's chest. Beige stared at it uncomprehendingly.

"How DARE you compare me to them!" the man seethed. "Traitors like you deserve to be silenced." He used his foot to push Beige's body off his blade. Even his men looked shocked.

Ella saw red.

The Dust lining her clothing burst into flames. A few of the rebels fell from their seats, attempting to get away. The killer of her friend could only turn around before he was engulfed in flames.

"She… she's a witch! And she killed Al'roc!" someone cried.

Ella didn't care who it was. She heard the sound of blades leaving their sheaths, channeled Dust backwards and burned them all. They had no aura. In an instant, they turned to ash.

There were no tears on her face. It could be because of the inferno she created, drying them, or maybe it was because she found something within her stronger than her grief. It was hatred. Like the fire around her, it consumed her whole being until all she could think of was justice. Or rather, vengeance.

When she finally restrained her flames, there was nothing left of her surroundings but Beige. She rushed to her side. Sadly, the woman was already dead. Ella didn't even get to hear her final words.

There should be tears. Why couldn't she cry?

She grabbed the sides of her head. " _Ella, keep an eye on her._ " The words vibrated inside her cranium.

She screamed in anguish. As if summoned by her call, from the distance, Nevermores echoed her cries.

The remaining men outside the keep, who had decided to stay away from the goddess of fire that had burned away their brothers, couldn't even run before the Grimm were upon them. Thousands and thousands of monsters, attracted by the sheer negativity in the air, were driven into a mad rage. The courtyard became like a tornado of black and red flesh.

Ella stopped when her voice became hoarse. She leaned over her friend's body, taking in shallow, uneven breaths.

They were supposed to tackle the world together. A knight and her princess, out to explore the big wide world. And now, Beige was just… dead.

The lone princess started laughing. It was an ugly, empty sound.

She will make them pay. She will make them all pay.

The dust lining in her clothing glowed, promising untold potential. She lit a flame in her hand. True, it was not enough, not enough to save her loyal friend, but it was enough to kill people without aura. And didn't it feel good to kill those men?

Yes… she'll start with the rebels…

She stared at the only place left standing. The keep. Ella forced herself up and marched onwards.

She entered the breached gates. The bloodbath inside didn't phase her. Why should she care about these strangers who had never helped her? She stepped over the gore without care.

Ella headed for the stairs from which she heard more fighting. The current floor was pretty much devoid of life.

"Aaargh!" A man was thrown down the stairs. The fire-wielding girl slapped him aside with a fireball, sending him screaming down the rest of the steps. At the top of the stairs was another man, this time a royal guard.

"Princess Ella?" He gasped. "We thought you had died!"

"You thought wrong." She coldly brushed past him. "Where are the rest?"

"Upstairs, my princess. The rebels launched another attack from the west gate and breached the floors above too."

A few screaming men brandishing stolen spears entered the room. The guard readied for combat, but it would be for nothing as with a wave of Ella's hand they were all burned alive. Ella stepped over the blackened bodies, exited the room and headed for the stairs, leaving the guard to stare at the bodies in horror.

Without aura, none of the men she fought were a match against her dust empowered fire. It was shocking just how easily she could snuff out their lives. Temperatures that an aura wielder could withstand for days were third degree burns for the unprotected. Using this power, she cleared floor after floor until she finally reached the top.

"...h… halt!" the tired knight decked out in full armor in front of her forced out, blocking her way to the throne room. She recognized that voice.

"Prince Edward?"

"Ella!" The man stumbled backwards. "It can't be! It's a trick! You are dead, dead, dead!" He seemed almost manic.

The princess instantly knew something was wrong.

"A semblance. An illusion semblance. It has to be! Can't trust my eyes, she said. She commanded!" Then, the man raised his sword and charged. "Those rebels dare to use her image against me?!"

Ella dodged out of the way, heart tightening. She had trained for a year in order to learn how to kill. But taking someone out of a fight without killing them, now that was something completely different. Would she have to kill him?

"It really is me, Ella!"

"Lies!" The man stabbed forward. Ella dodged, but it was merely a feint. She wasn't prepared for her old friend's skill in sword wielding. A light jab landed on her shoulder, sending her off balance, before he landed a heavy blow across her stomach that was meant to cleave her in half. She lost her footing and fell backwards into a bag of sand that was meant to be used for anti-siege measures. Her instincts screamed at her, forcing her to roll to the side just as Edward came in with a downward strike. The sword pierced straight through the bag and made a loud clang as it hit the stone floor. Sand spilled everywhere. The blow had to be aura-empowered.

"How can I prove it to you?" she desperately pleaded.

"Impossible! I know you died. I spent seven nights and seven days following your tracks, searching for you." The prince said, his voice filled with much misery and guilt. "And then I came upon your carriage. A Grimm attack, my trackers said. They recognize the marks. They recognize the feel. I didn't believe it was you who was killed at first, until I found your other shoe."

Ella covered her mouth in realization. She had forgotten about it. It was a minor detail between meeting the queen of the Grimm, not dying and becoming her agent. She had no idea it would become so important.

"I lived for a year regretting my words, my words that forced you away when you needed my help the most! So, you see now why you could not be alive!" He roared the last words out as he charged straight through Ella's guard. The prince smashed her into the rock wall, and for a moment, Ella saw stars. Aura helped a lot, but you could still feel the pain. The wall behind her cracked.

He let her go, letting her fall to the floor. Then, he raised his sword, preparing for the final aura-shattering blow.

Ella looked up into the slits of his helmets. "Edward… please… an illusionary semblance could not fake looks, sounds and touch…"

"I don't believe you!"

His sword came down.

Ella whispered something.

The sword smashed into stone.

Prince Edward kneeled closer, letting go of his sword, glaring into the eyes of the doppelganger of his past… friend. "What did you say?" he forced out through clenched teeth. Their faces were almost touching, deep breaths of exhaustion in sync.

"...please…"

"Speak clearly, revenant!"

"Please… please believe me this time." she croaked out quietly.

The words themselves were simple, but the feelings they induced did not. His memories of the fateful night staggered him. The prince fell to his knees, his armor plates clanging. Shakily, his hand reached out to touch her face, as if she wasn't even real. "...no. This can't be." He took off his helmet, revealing his onyx hair soaked with sweat and his eyes, colder, sadder than they were all those years ago.

Looking into the eyes of the man who was once supposed to save her, she could not gather the energy to be angry. It was a reunion that she had long since dreamed of but never actually thought would happen. After all, what could she say? "Sorry I ran away, I was dumb?" "I thought you were going to draw your sword on your best friend, so I went and got myself kidnapped by Grimm?"

The prince examined every inch of her face, taking in the unblemished skin by which he was once entranced, it now covered by grime. "I'm so sorry…" He whispered.

"I'm so sorry too," she whispered back.

"I KNEW IT!"

Startled, the two looked back at the doorway to the throne room. It was the queen who had yelled out.

The human woman was dressed in her combat dress. It was made in the style of a ballroom gown but was strategically covered in places with armor plates to accent her figure. Her crimson hair was covered with a stylish gold helmet, engraved with fractal patterns.

"I knew it…" Her vivid-green eyes shone with madness. "I was right!" she screeched "The treacherous princess was plotting behind our backs the whole time!" She laughed a laugh that could only be described as deranged. "Faking her death… leading the rebels to storm our walls… I was right!"

"She lost almost her entire family to the rebels, Ella." Edward told her. "All her oldest daughters and all her siblings. Only her newborn is still alive."

"What are you doing Edward? Kill her!" The woman commanded.

The prince stood up to plead with her. "My queen, it is just inconceivable that sweet Ella would turn against our family! We should see what she has to say!"

Ella stayed on the ground, head down.

What followed was a moment of strange silence.

"You too... Edward?" The mad queen giggled crazily. "After I had taken you in following your mother's death? After everything I've done to train you?!"

"My Quee - argggghh!" He clutched at his chest. He fell to his knees once more, but this was not because of shock.

Ella gasped and crawled as fast as she could to his side.

"I knew this day would come." The crazed royal said. "So, I prepared. A little bit of gold dust in that meal. A little there. Now, how does it feel, to have your insides shredded, traitor!"

"No!" Ella cried. Turning to face the queen, she thrusted out her palms and fire dust burst from her clothing and towards her target.

However, it was all for naught. The golden ornamental swords, armor, and other gold items were ripped from their place in the throne room with one gesture by the queen. With another, they piled up in front of the doorway, blocking the stream of fire Ella put out.

The wall was incredibly thick, and beside her, her lov - friend, kept on moaning and tearing at his armor. She forced more dust into her torrent of flames. And then more dust. And more. She had to save him!

The room they were in turned into an unbearable furnace, even with the protection of aura. The sand had already turned to glass and the gold actually started slowly melting. She pushed on. Was she almost through? She had no idea, but she had to try. She was burning through her aura at an alarming rate, igniting the dust.

And then, suddenly, her fire ran out. She ran out of dust. She stared uncomprehendingly at her hands.

"E.. Ella."

The princess turned to her long time friend. Blood spurted out as he tried to talk.

"Please… Ella… d… don't…"

Once again, her tears couldn't flow anymore. All she could give him was a face filled with distress… and anger.

There was nothing she wanted more than to tear the queen into pieces. She swore to scour the land for the most gruesome torture techniques and use it on the bitch. Alas, all her fantasies were for nought, as for now, she was powerless, watching her friend die without being able to do a thing.

His hand shakily grabbed hers and she let him pull her down. "...d… don't b… bla…" Before he could finish, his muscles unwillingly let go. Ella put his arm down gently.

A molten band of gold, still hot, snapped itself around Ella's neck. It then slammed into the wall, dragging the princess with it and choking her. She grabbed at it uselessly and tried to push herself up with her feet, but the band just pushed her lower, forcing her to kneel.

The doorway that had become a golden blockade now parted, revealing the queen. She walked over to her, a manic grin on her face. She extended an open palm, then closed it. The gold band around Ella's neck squeezed tighter.

"Your mother thought she was smart. I killed her. And now… I see you are following in her footsteps." The woman said as she approached.

There was nothing that Ella hated more in that moment than those green eyes.

A golden spike formed around the queen's hands. "Say goodbye, my dear." She aimed it at Ella's heart.

The castle suddenly shook, as if hit by an earthquake. The queen stumbled and the collar around Ella's neck loosened.

Ella grabbed at the ground, looking for anything. Her hand wrapped around something solid and she ripped it from its place, making a large crack. And then she thrusted with all her might.

It was a strange thing, the soul. Why did it have to be unlocked before it can be used at its fullest potential? Why is everyone's semblances different? Why do some people have stronger semblances than others? Or maybe… why are some people's auras weaker than others?

Maybe it was because the queen's semblance was so strong, or it was because the queen had been already worn down by previous battles, but Ella's makeshift weapon slipped between the armored plates and pierced through the woman's stomach. The queen let out a silent gasp. She stumbled backwards, back into the throne room, a glass sword pierced through her. The gold band around Ella's neck suddenly felt heavy.

The whole left side of the room was ripped away by a giant claw, stones flying everywhere. Ella shielded her face from the debris. Then, an enormous Grimm eye peaked in. Reinforcements had come, though a bit too late.

The young girl dragged herself towards the opening. She was bruised, dirty and so very tired. She'll come back for the bodies of her friends, she decided. Just… she didn't want to deal with it all right now.

A seer floated up and carried her body to the top of the Grimm dragon. With a final roar, the Grimm smashed apart the rest of the keep in one blow and then left for the Grimmlands.

Atop the dragon, Ella stared up at the gloomy night sky.

Beige was dead. Edward was dead. She closed her eyes and muttered a silent goodbye. It really hurt that she wasn't able to protect them. But that was it, wasn't it? She had to be stronger. Faster. Tougher. She needed the ability to finally keep what she loves and not fear everyday that she'd lose it. What use were friends and family when anyone, in a mere millisecond, could just take them away? She needed safety. She needed power.

The young girl shivered under the cool night, but determination burned strong within her. She rolled over. From the side of her vision, she looked at the smoldering kingdom in the distance.

The queen was dead. The kingdom had probably fallen. It was easier to say what survived than what didn't. There really was little left of her old life, wasn't there?

For a second she mulled around the idea of changing her name, like one of those cool dark heroes who went and lived a new life under a different name. Hm… how about… Cinder? Still has links to her old life, so that she'll never forget what she is fighting for, and also was symbolic.

...alright, that was a bit cheesy. She let that train of thought drift away.

Still, it should have been scary, suddenly becoming a nameless wanderer, the remnants of her past literally burning away behind her. But it wasn't. She had a master. She had a new life under Salem.

She still had a future to look forwards to, and this time, she'd be stronger.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

Salem stared at her seer, one finger tapping the table thoughtfully. She had seen it all, and honestly, was a little surprised. She had no idea things would get that bad. Normally, when faced with an army of Grimm, humans would unite and fight together. True, they backstabbed each other, but Salem had never witnessed it directly from ground zero and only saw the results after her Grimm had cleaned up the mess.

Her agent's death was an unfortunate event. She would have been able to stop it if her attention was not split between her Grimm, driven mad by the negativity.

The queen of the Grimm frowned. Cinderella was not going to be the same after this. Salem glanced at the nearby crystals adorning the room. While she hated humans as a general species, it was much easier to accept a single person. She'll admit to herself that it was very unfortunate that her future dark maiden had gone through this.

Still, this event only deepened her dislike of humanity. To stoop so low as to murder your allies while you are both on the battlefield was a disgrace to every single sentient species. After seeing this, Salem would not have been surprised if, when left by themselves for any longer, they ended up exterminating themselves!

The Grimm queen's finger stopped.

That's… that's it! The answer she was looking for. If she won through pure military might, Ozpin would keep rallying the survivors as long as humans existed. Salem didn't feel like searching a land as big as Remnant for rats for the next thousand years. But if humans were the ones who wiped each other out, Ozpin would have to admit defeat. Salem smiled to herself.

Humans were so very dangerous, especially to each other. Jealousy of each other's belongings, greed over things you always have… there was so much that could come into conflict. What they don't realize is just how human their own enemies are too.

In this situation, the nobles and the rebels were in some ways very alike, Salem noted to herself. However, it wasn't as if they will ever be able work out their differences - not after they slaughtered each other to the last man.

"They were both so very afraid," Salem whispered to herself. "And when humans were afraid, they became mere _animals_ , incapable of any logical thought. In their fear, they will doom... their own species to extinction."

Take Cinderella for example. She may, from now on, always look for strength, but within that exterior wall of steel is a little child, craving safety that she will never get. Her past will stay with her, wounds will heal but leave scars, and all Salem will have to do is take advantage of that.

The things she will be able to make her do...

Putting down the sword for now was a strange concept to Salem, but it'll at least give her lots of free time for her new hobbies. She glanced towards the large bookshelf on her right. For now, it was time to kick back and relax as the last monarchy in the world fell to pieces.

She looked forward to the future. Manipulating the world by preying on fear would not be very hard. After all, if there was one thing the queen of the Grimm, darkness and evil knew, it was fear.

 _ **~A FIERY TALE~**_

 **Author's note: Some of you may have also realized that this ending doesn't feel complete, but for a different reason. "Really, jjpdn? All humans are bad, boohoo? You sure you are not Adam in disguise?" Well I have a good reason to end it this way, and that's because ending it this way gives me room for a sequel. I'm sure you all noticed the changes Salem went through, and I think you can guess which direction that is going.**

 **FInally, lots of thanks to my beta from , The Path of a Writer! Please check out his works!**

 **BONUS AFTER-AUTHOR'S-NOTE SCENE:**

In the ruins of the castle, rubble shook before suddenly being blasted away, revealing a woman. Her battle dress was dented and a long piece of glass pierced through her belly. She moaned. There was also crying, but it wasn't from her.

In front of her was a baby, wrapped in a red blanket. The woman knelt down to pick the bundle she was protecting up. Seeing the baby safe and sound, her shoulders started shaking. Then, watery eyes, and finally, full blown sobs, crying not in sadness, but in relief.

"You survived." The woman whispered in between breaths. "The only one of my daughters, to survive."

After all the deaths, all the fighting, all the schemes, finally something went right. It was a miracle, in midst of defeat.

Or was it a victory at the cost of everything?

Tears streamed down the woman's face.

"I will name you... Pyrrha."

 **A/N: Pyrrha is 17 at the time of her death. Cinder is 13. 13+17, minus a few months, equals around 30 years old, just in time for Cinder to become the fall maiden without passing the cut off age.**


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